Previously identified associations between TV viewing and a less healthful diet may stem from exposure to advertisements of high calorie foods and ‘distracted eating’ rather than the activity of sitting itself, although sitting time remains an independent risk factor requiring public health focus. These findings are according to a new study by American Cancer Society investigators conducted in collaboration with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition and the University of Texas School of Public Health. For their study, published in Preventive Medicine, researchers examined sedentary time using an objective measure (accelerometers), and found that sedentary time was not linked to poorer diets among US adults.

Despite the health benefits associated with increasing physical activity, reducing sedentary time, and consuming a healthy diet, most Americans do not adhere to these behaviors. Previous research has found an inter-relationship among multiple health behaviors, such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol intake. For example, one study found that approximately 20% of a studied population had at least three lifestyle risk factors (e.g. smoking, physical inactivity), while other research has found that only 3% of US adults adhered to all the healthy lifestyle behaviors they examined: not smoking, having a healthy weight, eating sufficient fruits and vegetables, and meeting physical activity guidelines.